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The explosive bust-up in last night’s “Real Housewives of New Jersey” season premiere was a long time coming, says the newest cast member, Melissa Gorga.
The brawl, in the midst of a christening party for Melissa’s newborn son, was the slam-bang introduction to the hit reality series that has been characterized by flipping tables, hair-pulling and screaming matches.
But it was, by far, the worst violence yet.
Viewers watched in shock as partygoers had to separate Melissa’s husband, Joe, from his brother-in-law Joe Giudice, the stocky husband of “Wives” star Teresa, in a catering hall rumble.
“The fight didn’t start when [Teresa] came up and said, ‘Hello.’ Nobody in their right mind would start a fight over that,” Melissa told The Post.
“We were in complete shock that [Teresa] was playing it up a bit at the christening, pretending to be nice,” Melissa explained.
“Me and my husband are not putting on a show, so we tried to cut it off right there, and I guess she thought that we were going to put on smiles and play the game.”
“But that’s not who we are. We’re real, and we don’t put on fake smiles.”
Apparently, it was one fake smile too many but Melissa says the feud between Teresa and her brother Joe had intensified in the weeks leading up to the volcanic explosion at the christening.
“We were getting ridiculous, ridiculous calls from Teresa after we signed up for the show,” Melissa said.
“You wouldn’t believe the things she was saying. They were completely uncalled for and not the kind of thing you’d ever expect a sister to say to her brother.”
The phone calls combined with the long-simmering feud profiled in the show meant that the Gorgas and Giudices weren’t on speaking terms heading into the christening — and now they know the result of that toxic mix.
The events still haunt Melissa.
“I cried the whole time I watched [the premiere]. That’s my baby’s christening and that’s the memory I have.
“I didn’t sleep for three days after it happened, and I didn’t sleep for three days after I saw the premiere,” Melissa said.
Even though the two couples have been seen at events promoting the new season of the show, the enmity between them still bubbles under the surface.
That’s why Teresa threw a premiere party by herself last night while the other four “Wives” watched the premiere at The Brownstone, a restaurant owned and operated by cast member Caroline Manzo’s family.
“[Teresa] likes to be the queen, and she won’t be the queen if we’re all there,” Melissa explained.